Motor vehicles have a vehicle control system for effecting control for giving improved stability to the vehicle. The system comprises a plurality of sensor-equipped hub units each having a sensor device for detecting various items of data as to the vehicle, and a control unit for controlling the vehicle based on the data from the sensor devices.
Vehicle speed sensors are well known as sensor devices. The control units already known include those comprising an ABS (antilock brake system) for effecting control based on a slip ratio as determined from a comparison of signals from front and rear wheel sensors, those comprising a traction controller for preventing the drive wheels from spinning when the vehicle is started or accelerated, and those comprising a controller for suppressing side skids during cornering.
For these modes of control, the state of a wheel skid is judged, and upon occurrence of a skid in excess of a certain value, the vehicle is controlled, for example, by actuating the brake to suppress the skid.
Although greatly improved stability can be given to the vehicle by using such a vehicle control system, vehicles are controlled conventionally after wheel skids, so that it is desired to provide a more preferred control system which is adapted to predict a wheel skid before skidding to deal with the occurrence of an abnormality.
An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle control system which is capable of controlling the vehicle before wheel skids.